Outcome

Now that the Assembly has concluded, the million dollar question is, "So what?" What ministry does God require of The United Church of Canada in its third generation? Frustratingly for some, there is no clear cut answer. Not even a semblance of a direction that we, as a corporate church, will be taking.

Some may see it as a touchy-feely, wishy-washy non-answer, but 106 different outcomes left the Arnprior yesterday. I can live with that. Like all the tough questions, we already know what the answer is. We know what we should be doing, who we should reach out to, what we should emphasize.

And despite the gift and curse of the church's diversity within and among its geographic, social, theological, ethnic, economic realities, I would point to a patch of common ground. We commit to staying together. As naively simple, and grossly complicated, as that. That means we risk conflict, we engage in honest dialogue, we listen to one another. Not as churches to congregations, as people to people.

So often I've heard of the value of engaging in conversation. The theories are sound and the principle is solid. Rarely have I experienced a community coming together solely for conversation and dialogue as I have this past days. In a space without agendas, with openness for the Spirit to move and be made known, it was a journey in kairos, God's time.

The Buddhist in me appreciates that there is no easy answer (and it was remarked that there was an 80-year old monk inside my young body); to come away from the Assembly with a one-size-fits-all solution would have dishonoured the process and insulted the Spirit. Like it or not, it is what it is.